Issa Kassimu

Solar Powered Transmission: A Case Study from South Sudan

Issa Kassimu

Internews / The Radio Community

South Sudan

TRC and Internews

Introduction

• Power in South Sudan

• Turalei solar project

• How to use solar at your station

Power in South Sudan

Power problems in South Sudan

• Rely on Generator power

• Total installed grid capacity is about 26.8 MW

• 90% of the Population has no access to power

Why Solar?

• Sun is free! (Feasible)

• Easy to maintain and run the setup

• I use a solar system at home

Why didn’t we use Solar before?

• Previous trials didn’t work

• Poor system design

• Upfront cost

• Managers concerned it wouldn’t work

Voice of Freedom, Magwi(6KW)

Community Needs Initiative, Nimule (2KW)

Internews Abyei service, Agok(1.5KW)

Halfway there – hybrid projects

Off-grid Solar - The Turalei Project

• Trial hybrid projects were successful

• Batteries donated

• Got the go ahead for full solar!

• Turalei

Turalei Off-grid solar project

• Mayardit FM

• Broadcast 8 hours per day

using 2kW transmitter (r-100km)

• Fighting not directly affected the area

• Had enough space for the panels

Turalei Off-grid solar project

• Move the station from generator power to 100% solar using the 21KW solar power installed.

• Increase the hours on air from 8 to 16hrs per day

• Reduce annual running costs

• Make it user friendly and easy to maintain

Turalei Off-grid solar project

• Transport

• Installation

• Commissioning

• Used live!

Turalei project

Turalei project

• On air since April

• NO DOWNTIME!

• Reduced annual running costs from $22,100 to $2,100 (estimate)

Turalei project

• Upfront cost is much higher.

• We think it will break even after 5 years and bring significant savings after that (designed to last 15-25 years).

Turalei project

• A success so far!

Would it work here?(UK)

• If it works in South Sudan, it will work anywhere!

• It’s all about the system design.(Hybrid or Off-grid)

• The tilt angle and system size may vary due to different latitudes and panel generation factor

Solar design & sizing for TechCon FM

• London on air 24/7

• 2 studios each with a load of 300 Watts

• An office with 10 laptops - 65 watts each

• 600 Watts transmitter

• 350 watts kettle with an estimate usage of 4 hours a day

TechCon FM

• Calculate the total watt hour load per day

• Calculate the required solar panels

• Calculate the number of batteries / charge controllers / inverters

• Calculate the cost

Calculating Watt-Hours

Electrical power estimation sheet for TechCon FM based on 24 hours operational time

S/No. ApplianceQuantit

yWattage

(W)

Hours from 6am-

6pm

Hours from

6pm-6am

Hours per day

Days per

week

Watt hours/da

y

1Studios 2 300 12 12 24 7 14400

2Laptops 10 65 12 0 12 7 7800

3Transmitter 1 600 12 12 24 7 14400

4Kittle 1 350 3 1 4 7 1400

Totals 1315 38000

Calculating the Solar panels, Inverters, batteries and charge controllers

The Solar PV System Sizing Summary

Total Power consumption (Watts)

Total Watt-hours per day used by all appliances

Energy lost in the system

Total Watt-hours per day needed from PV modules

Panel generation factor for South Sudan

Total Watt-peak rating needed for PV modules

Rated output Watt-peak of each PV module available

Number of PV panels required

1315 38000 1.3 49400 2.61 18927 250 76

The Inverter Sizing

Total Power consumption (Watts)

Inverter safety requirement

Required Inverter power out put

The available rated Inverter to be used

Number of Inverters required

1315 1.3 1709.5 2000 1

The Battery Sizing

Total Watt-hours per day used by all appliances

Required Battery lossRequired depth of discharge

Nominal voltage of the available battery

Days of autonomyTotal Ampere-hours capacity required(Ah)

Available battery Ah capacity

Number of batteries required (pcs)

38000 0.85 0.6 2 3 111765 1643 68

Solar charge controller sizing

Number of PV panels required

PV module specification-Isc

Energy lost in the system

Total Current (Isc-Amperes) from all the PV modules

Each available Solar Charge controller rating-Amperes

Number of Charge controllers required

74 8.8 1.3 847 80 11

Summary of TechCon FM solar design

• 76 pcs of 250Wp solar panels

• 1 pc of 2000W Inverter

• 68pcs of 2V - 1643Ah solar batteries

• 11pcs of 80A charge controllers

• Other wiring accessories.

Frequently Asked Questions?

• Can it work when there is no sun (like the UK)?

• Does it work in the dark?

• What if it rains?

• How long does it take to charge the batteries?

Report launch

• Internews has written a report on the solar project

• Launching today!

• It will be available at internews.org/research-publications/solar-powered-transmission (and we’ll send to you automatically in a few days).

Future dreams

• See more (well-designed) solar systems

• Develop hydro power for South Sudan (Nile)

• Wind?

Future dreams

• Manufacturers – design equipment which is:

- low power

- dual AC/DC inputs (no more inverters!)

Summary

• You can use a well designed and installed solar power to run a radio station

• It works in all countries

• You can do hybrid systems or grid tie

• Upfront cost is higher, but the annual running costs are low

• Give it a try!

Any Questions?

ikassimu@internews.org